Luckily for the Boston Celtics, the Brooklyn Nets will be without two-thirds of their “Big 3” tonight as the Cs visit the Barclays Center.
In addition to James Harden–who has been sidelined with a troublesome hamstring injury for much of the season–, Kevin Durant won’t be in the lineup against the Celtics.
Kyrie Irving will be the lone Nets star in uniform on Friday night, as Boston looks to win its eighth game in their last nine games. The #4 seed is within reach and it will likely come down to either the Cs or New York Knicks for the last spot in the Eastern Conference bracket with home-field advantage in the east quarterfinals.
Marc Stein of the New York Times broke the news of Durant’s absence via his verified Twitter:
The Nets say Kevin Durant (left thigh contusion) is out tonight against Boston.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 23, 2021
The Nets are coming off of a double-digit loss to the Toronto Raptors (of Tampa for the time being) this past Wednesday. It’s been an uneven stretch for Brooklyn of late, with the team alternating wins and losses in their last six contests.
The absence of Durant makes tonight’s game much more manageable for Boston, who gave up 29 points to KD in the teams’ first clash on Christmas day. He wasn’t active for the Nets’ second win over the Celtics in March.
Kyrie Irving was the hero that night, as he has been both matchups against his former team, scoring 40 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
He’ll have to be again tonight without his two superstar running mates. Currently, the Nets’ record is identical to the Philadelphia 76ers, and the race for the #1 seed will be an equally intriguing battle to the #4 seed the Boston Celtics are currently in.
Tipoff is 7:30 eastern time tonight on ESPN.